British Airways Showcase New A380

British Airways today announced that booking has commenced for flights to Hong Kong and Los Angeles onboard their new flagship, the Airbus A380. Los Angeles will be available to book for flights commencing October 15th, and Hong Kong will commence operations on November 15th, both this year. The routes were widely expected, and fit the A380’s profile perfectly. The A380 is going to be a new aircraft for BA in all aspects, but the on-board products themselves haven’t exactly been specially crafted for their aircraft. Even BA hint at their lack of innovation on the announcement on their website:

“The best refinements are those you hardly notice. Deceptive in their simplicity, you may not notice them at all. Truly great design steps aside, leaving you with a sensation, a feeling. This was our ambition when designing the interiors for our next generation aircraft. Soon, our A380s will fly between London Heathrow, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. We hope, when you step on board, you can’t put your finger on exactly what makes flying in them so pleasurable. Could it be relaxing in a seat so optimised for comfort you haven’t needed to adjust it or that you missed night becoming day because the lighting made the transition so gentle.

More than 90 years of experience has taught us how to get things right and our intention is to make sure – on every second of every flight – you realise how flying with us makes you feel.”

As we have said previously though, it also seems that the toilet situation may be a little tight for economy passengers, with only 4 toilets on the lower deck and two on the upper deck shown on their seat plans.That said, the aircraft, from these impressions, is a fine looking ship and we look forward to seeing what looks like it in reality. There is no doubt it will be a finely finished, if understated product. When we get some real shots we will post them on here straight away!

Not many airlines have replaced the 777 with A380’s. They have replaced 747’s mainly. The A350 and dreamliner will be going head to head and the 777 will suffer a litlle then. I must say the 777 is a noisy, uncomfortable ride compared to the modern jets – i really don’t like them at all. BA will introduce JFK route later, subject to deliveries.